God's thoughts toward us do not inclued failure.

Popa is always telling me that we never fail with God, we just get to take the test again. The consequences are costlier each time we journey through old familiar territory. Who of us would be so committed to the process of success in another? Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that HE, the faithful one of Israel, has a hope and future for us. I trust that the grace of God will abound in each of us allowing us to make the grade of being formed into HIS image. Families are usually the training ground for life, often the burial ground for relationship, and sadly the area in which we refuse to enter into Christ-likeness. I have learned, the key word here is learned, we are incapable of making others do right. Free-will was given by God who is the author of all truth. A very wise woman once told me that there are always three sides to any story....my side, the other person's side and God's side which is the only side that is honestly accurate. May I encourage each of you to pursue God's vantage point when you find yourself in a strained relationship.
I am missing the sunshine, as I live in Oregon and am encountering rain again today. God is God and HE is good even on rainy summer days in Oregon so I will look for my destiny in HIM today, maybe I will encounter some of you along the way. Wouldn't that be fun? I have heard that my lovely little granddaughter, Violet, has discovered the word of the day on her other grandmother's internet browser and is busy using her new vocabulary....yesterday's word was huggermugger....it means secret! I am never too old to learn and thus I will find a huggermugger to share with Violet today! Violet is her blogger name as her mother wants to protect her identity...Violet is her name because she loves the Incredibles....Violet is her name because I can follow suit. Have a blessed day!!!!!!

Thoughts are sometimes more than we can bear!

This week-end my mother celebrated her seventy-fifth birthday. Mom triumped through the day with deep appreciation of family and friends. I have wonderful memories of the most devoted mother a child could ever have. She was faithful to pray for us (her children) at least one hour everyday. I attribute much of my success in life to her diligent prayer life. She taught me how to serve others and to study the word of God with a heart open to revelation. I am grateful for her love and support down through the years. The sunset of life will surely find us all, may we traverse it with grace. God is good and HIS mercy endures forever. I am spending the week with momma and her younger sister, it will be a week of remembering the past and reaching for the future. I pray each of you will be blessed by the endurance of love.

Thoughts of today 33 years ago.

Thirty-three years ago I gave birth to my first child. A lovely young lady who has given me three wonderful grandchildren. I will never forget the dawning of those first feelings of motherhood. She has been a delightful child, a second mother to our other daughters, not always by choice but sometimes by necessity. She faithfully attended college and got her degree and along the way met and married a man God had destined to be her husband. Together they have followed Christ through the good and the not so good days of life. I think what has brought the most joy to my heart is the fact that they have pursued God in all the avenues of life. It is a joy to be in relationship with them, to have them share their joys and their griefs with us. We, Popa and I, wish her a year of peace and shelter from the storms of life. May the twins quickly finishing potty training and may big sister have a smooth transition as she starts a new school this fall. Congratulations to hubby for making it through his year of probation with SWA. May the new house in the new town be a blessing and may life present many joys this next year. Daughter #1 you are still a delight and we are so grateful to call you ours...your wit and encouragement have meant a lot to us. mom aka: the Nona

What do you believe?

What do you believe? Your beliefs and belief system can hold you captive. The Song of Solomon talks about the beloved coming leaping and skipping upon the mountains... and about flowers appearing...etc. You have a part to play, you can stay locked up inside your house and miss the sunshine and all the joy that the seasons bring, just like you can choose to stay locked up in your belef system and miss the SONshine. Sometimes, I have to join the Psalmist and say like in does in Chapter 86 verse 3 "Rejoice the soul of your servant," Hey God, I need you to intervene in my life and cause my soul to rejoice; grant your grace in such measure that I begin to rejoice in "my maker". God come and overwhelm me body, soul and spirt with YOUR goodness. Cause your goodness to pass before my eyes that I might rejoice in you. Later down in verse 11 it says "unite my heart to fear your Name" gather the fragments of my heart, oh God, and cause me to know you will perform the very things you have put your name to. Our hearts are fragmented, we need the Holy Spirit to run a defrag program on us. So that we begin to rule and reign from the vantage point of Heaven! Defrag programs keep the necessary operational files and move out the files that are damaged, unnecessary, and causing gliches. Song of Solomon 2:8-13
8. The voice of my beloved! Behold he comes Leaping upon the mountains, skipping on the hills. 9. My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, he stands behind our wall; HE is looking through the windows, gazing through the lattice. 10. My beloved spoke and said to me: "Rise up, my love, my fair one and come away. 11. For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12. Flowers appear on the earth: The time of singing has come and the voice of the turtledoe is heard in our land. 13. The fig puts forth her green figs and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one and come away! WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE? Psalm 104:1 says Praise the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. WHAT FILLS YOU WITH WONDER? New life tends to render me speechless, which is why I love the wonder of sping. Tulips, hyacinths and irises press through hard cold clumps of earth in resurrection wonder. Baby robins show up wide-eyed with hungry chirps in anticipation of the worm the momma bird is bringing. Even the sun hovers longer, not wanting to miss the unfolding of a new season. Our peek-a-boo glimpses of God fill us with a sense of divine reality, like a preview of things to come. We are promised that one day the veil will be lifted from our eyes and we will see the Lord face to face. Imagine that! Try as I might it is difficult to grasp that kind of holy revelation. But until the day when the mysterious becomes known, God bestows us with encounters in which for a moment we are aware that we are on holy ground. Speaking of Holy Ground, isn't all of the earth God's territory? All we know of creation is the Lords. Therefore, each step we take is on holy land, which means we are all and each one individually on a sacred journey. Sometimes this is hard to remember when we are struggling up a craggy mountain, our shins raw and our hands bleeding. Then we thrust our bruised bodies onto the moutaintop, pull ourselves upright and see the view...the wondrous view. The very sight God has prepared for us to see. In this season, let us run, walk and tiptoe if necessary barefooted (in total reverence and awe) but totally aware that we are on Holy Ground. IT is not a particular place; IT is an attitude of divine assignment. Whether we are planting gardens, flipping pancakes, racing to a forty hour a week job, cleaning the church, or participating on the worship team may we be tuned into the wonder of it all. Is it any wonder that God has a plan for us? NO! HIS plan has been set from the beginning with us in mind. Praise God! Be Blessed. I will try to be more faithful to blog on a regular basis.